Local contractor arrested again

Local News

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.

comments powered by Disqus

August 5, 2009

By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG The Press Republican Wed Aug 05, 2009, 05:19 PM EDT

PLATTSBURGH — A local contractor accused of swindling an elderly couple out of thousands of dollars has been arrested again.

David LaDuke of Reasonable Renovations was first arrested late last month after he allegedly pocketed at least $10,000 from his job repairing an aging Chateaugay homestead.

Police believe the 47-year-old Schuyler Falls man inflated work hours, faked business records and “blantantly overcharged” the downstate couple, who hired him to renovate their recently purchased childhood home.

Authorities said the prices and materials did not match the minimal work that was completed.

With the job still undone, the couple have temporarily delayed their return to the area and are now using alternative resources to complete the renovations, police said.

LaDuke was released from custody after he posted $20,000 bond for charges of grand larceny, offering a false instrument for filing and falsifying business records.

With those charges still pending in Franklin County, the self-employed handyman was arrested this week in connection with an unrelated larceny.

Plattsburgh-based State Police investigators believe LaDuke recently opened an account at a local Community Bank, where he allegedly used a counterfeit check for nearly $2,500.

After being contacted by bank officials, police charged LaDuke Tuesday with fourth-degree grand larceny and second-degree possession of a forged instrument.

Investigators said LaDuke has not repaid the bank.

He was released from custody after posting $600 bail and will reappear in court later this month to face the allegations.

Police are continuing to investigate the alleged renovation scam and said additional charges are likely.

E-mail Andrea VanValkenburg at:

avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com